Chapter 54: Sisters Meeting

This completely startled Wu Zhenri. He panicked and said, Furong, put down the knife, I am not dumping you.

He walked over and snatched the knife from Bao Furong's hand. Instead of casually placing it on the edge of the table as he should have, he tossed it under the bed.

After a clanging sound, he turned around and wanted to hug Bao Furong to comfort her, but unexpectedly, Bao Furong coldly pushed him away and said coldly, No wonder when I first stepped into your house, your mother only gave me 20 eggs; it turns out she was intentionally pushing me away.

Bao Furong grew more and more emotional as she spoke, Are your mom and dad looking down on me because I used to work in the red-light district, afraid I'd taint your family?

Wu Zhenri remained silent, listening to her continued reproaches, I did work in the red-light district, but you were the one who got me out of there. Now that you've got me out, are you going to take responsibility?

I'll take responsibility. Wu Zhenri said, nodding gently, looking very meek.

Amidst her reproaches, Bao Furong also made an extraordinary demand, You can dump me, but you must take out the 100,000 yuan from that UnionPay card and give it to me as compensation for my losses.

If I don't dump you, and we share it, wouldn't it be the same? Wu Zhenri instantly grew nervous. If all 100,000 yuan were given to Bao Furong, his father would never give him money again. Accustomed to spending large sums recklessly, suddenly finding himself penniless and reduced to a thoroughly destitute person, he would be completely at a loss. Thus, he surrendered and said to Bao Furong.

In less than a few months, they spent one-third of this 100,000 yuan on lavish food and drink while renting a hotel room.

He had once promised his father that this money would be used as capital for doing business.

Therefore, he rented a storefront in a rather secluded alley in the city and started a braised dish business with Bao Furong to make some pocket money, ensuring they wouldn't be cut off once the money on the card was completely used up.

Suddenly, one day, Wu Zhenri received a call from his father saying there was an urgent matter at home and instructing him to rush back to Mumian Village immediately.

This time, Bao Furong did not go with him; instead, she stayed behind to tend to the braised dish storefront.

As Wu Zhenri was leaving, Bao Furong urged him to go quickly and return promptly. Wu Zhenri smiled and nodded.

Yet, after he left, half a month passed without any sign of his return, and Bao Furong felt uneasy in her heart.

That day, she closed the braised dish storefront, hailed a taxi from the city, and drove right up to the doorstep of Wu Zhenri's house in Mumian Village, Mumian Town.

By the side of the open yard in front of the house were swept piles of debris from discharged fireworks and firecrackers, looking as though some joyous occasion had been celebrated recently.

Seeing this, Bao Furong thought nothing of it. Stepping out of the taxi, the two elderly people, Ma Shi and Wu Xiaofeng, sitting in the yard, recognized her instantly and stood up together to greet her. Their wrinkled faces were beaming with smiles, making Bao Furong feel that the two elders were much more enthusiastic than last time.

She was just about to ask a question when Ma Shi spoke first, Are you looking for my son?

Bao Furong said yes, and Ma Shi continued, My son just got married and went away on a honeymoon trip with his new bride.

Wu Xiaofeng glared at Ma Shi, signaling her not to speak, but Ma Shi failed to catch the hint and went on, Who knows when he'll be back! Is there something you wanted him for?

Hearing this, Bao Furong felt as if struck by a bolt from the blue. Her expression changed drastically on the spot, and her heart ached terribly, yet she stammeringly replied, It's nothing.

She turned around, wandered aimlessly around the yard, and occasionally glancing at the pile of shattered fireworks and firecrackers nearby, she said to the taxi driver, Let's go!

The car started moving, and Bao Furong sat silently in the front passenger seat.

As the car drove out of the village entrance, the driver remarked with a sigh, That household seemed to have held some celebration a few days ago, did you see? There are layers of red and green firecracker wrappers all around the yard.

Bao Furong let out an affirmative hum, remained silent, and kept her head down.

Instead of returning directly to the braised dish storefront in the city, she got out of the taxi at Mumian Town, paid the fare, and to save on travel expenses, took a bus into the city where she transferred to another bus to her hometown in the neighboring county.

Bao Furong's home was located in the 13th Group, Crescent Moon Village, Yulin Town. It was a single-story adobe house with three rooms, a sloping thatched roof at the back.

Her parents were just over fifty years old and both engaged in farming. That day, when Bao Furong returned, she gave 200 yuan to each of her parents. Assuming she was working odd jobs away from home, they did not ask for detailed explanations.

Seeing her taciturn, her mother frowned and said, Furong, are you unhappy working away from home? If you're unhappy, just come back. Your brother-in-law drives a dump truck at the development zone construction site. You should go find your sister and ask her to tell your brother-in-law if he can find you a job with one of the bosses in the development zone. Honestly, I worry when you're working out there all by yourself without a single relative around.

Mom, you don't need to worry about me. I'm doing just fine out there, and now I've even partnered with someone to open a braised dish shop. Business is good. Bao Furong tried her best to conceal the displeasure hanging on her face; she did not want to tell her mother about her messy affairs, choosing only to speak words that would make her mother happy.

As she chatted with her mother, the conversation drifted toward the topic of romance.

Her mother said, A matchmaker came to propose a marriage a few days ago. It's a young man from the town who slaughters pigs and sells meat. He asked the matchmaker to come on his behalf. I wonder if you're willing or not.

No, I'm not. A pig butcher is no good. Bao Furong flatly refused.

At this moment, her father gave a cough, walked over, and said to Bao Furong who was sitting on the wooden chair, I've met that young man. He seems like a good person, and it is said that his meat-chopping skills are truly extraordinary. When customers go to his stall to buy meat and specify a certain number of catties and taels, he brings his knife down and weighs it, and it's neither more nor less—just right. It's not just a fluke; it's always like that, without a shred of error.

Her father continued praising the young man endlessly, and then, in a reproving tone, said to Bao Furong, And you're still unwilling? What's wrong with a pig butcher? People might not even deign to look at you!

Can we not talk about this? Bao Furong stood up, retorted sharply, and walked into a side room equipped with a dressing table and a makeshift sleeping bed.

Suddenly, she felt a sour, nauseous sensation rising up, yet she couldn't vomit, managing to expel only a small amount of saliva.

Bao Furong lay down on the bed, wanting to sleep for a bit, but even with her eyes closed, sleep eluded her. Her heart was troubled with a deep resentment toward Wu Zhenri, and she even harbored thoughts of revenge.

She also felt an urge to vent her inner distress to someone, but she didn't want to tell her parents. This was not merely a matter of a generation gap; her primary concern was that once her parents learned about the scandalous situation of her freely cohabiting with a man outside, they would blame her.

After tossing and turning on the bed for about an hour, she suddenly climbed up, tidied herself up briefly in front of the dressing table, and went out. After bidding farewell to her mother, who was busy with housework, she headed straight to find her older sister, Bao Fuyü, in the residential buildings near the Yulin Town development zone.

By then it was dusk, and she sat facing Bao Fuyü across a balcony bathed in the lingering rays of the setting sun. After initial polite pleasantries, Bao Furong spilled out everything—the events that had transpired between her and Wu Zhenri, and how Wu Zhenri was currently avoiding her, meaning he had betrayed her and married another woman—giving every single detail, and asked Bao Fuyü for advice on how she could exact revenge on Wu Zhenri.

Bao Furong spoke with intense emotion and a face full of helplessness and indignation, occasionally spitting out a mouthful of sour water.

Observing this, Bao Fuyü promptly placed a spittoon in front of Bao Furong's seat and went into the room to fetch a roll of tissues, placing them on a small stool on the balcony for easy access so she could wipe herself whenever needed.

Once seated comfortably, Bao Fuyü spoke slowly, Furong, I completely understand your desire to get back at Wu Zhenri, but it will be hard for you to exact revenge. Even if you did retaliate, it wouldn't cause him any real loss; instead, it would result in losses for you.

At worst, I'll just quit that braised dish shop. Bao Furong said.

Quitting that braised dish shop means nothing to Wu Zhenri. Besides, even if you sold every single piece of those braised dishes, you wouldn't make much money anyway. On the contrary, you'd just be doing Wu Zhenri a favor by freeing him from your nuisance. Before her younger sister, Bao Fuyü acted like a philosopher, analyzing the situation thoroughly.

Then what should I do? I've been scammed by that dog Wu Zhenri, and I can't swallow this injustice! Bao Furong said, reaching out to lift the lid of the spittoon, lowering her head with her mouth pointed toward the opening, and spat out a mouthful of sour water.

There is a way. Watching her repeatedly spit sour water, Bao Fuyü suspected her sister was pregnant. Having been through it herself, Bao Fuyü had experience and felt her intuition wouldn't be wrong. She pointed at her sister's lower abdomen and asked, Are you expecting?

I'm not even sure, but these past few days I keep spitting sour water.

Then tomorrow I'll accompany you to the hospital for a checkup. If you are pregnant, even if you decide to get an abortion, you must make Wu Zhenri pay a huge sum in compensation, otherwise you'd really be getting the short end of the stick. At this point, Bao Fuyü suddenly furrowed her brow and added, However, if you are pregnant, you must have conclusive evidence to prove that the bastard growing in your belly is Wu Zhenri's seed, otherwise it's going to be tricky to handle.